Obizzo II d'Este (c. 1247 – 13 February 1293) was Marquis of Ferrara and

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

Biography

He was a bastard, the illegitimate son of Rinaldo I d'Este – the only son and heir of the Margrave Azzo VII d'Este – and a Neapolitan laundress. Soon after his birth, Obizzo was expelled from Ferrara with his mother and settled in

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

. For his birth, Obizzo was destined to an obscure future; nevertheless. This situation changed in 1251 when his father Rinaldo, a hostage of emperor Frederick II since 1238, was poisoned with his barren wife, Adelaide da Romano. Without any other sons to continue his line, the Margrave Azzo VII saw in Obizzo the only chance of survival of the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

and fought for his recognition as his heir. Obizzo was legitimated by the

Pope Innocent IV Pope Innocent IV ( la, Innocentius IV; – 7 December 1254), born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254. Fieschi was born in Genoa and studied at the universitie ...

in 1252, shortly after his mother was drowned in the Adriatic. In 1264 he was proclaimed lifelong ruler of Ferrara, Lord of Modena in 1288 and of Reggio in 1289. His rule marked the end of the communal period in Ferrara and the beginning of the Lordship, which lasted until the 17th century. He was most likely killed by his son

Azzo VIII d'Este Azzo VIII d'Este (died 31 January 1308) was lord of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1293 until his death. He inherited the family lands from his father, Obizzo II, whom Dante suggested in the '' Inferno'' he had assassinated. The Florentine poet ...

without having nominated an heir. Azzo claimed the government as the eldest son ( primogeniture) but his brothers Aldobrandino and Francesco made a violent dispute for their rights. Finally, they made a divisionary treaty over the lands: Azzo retained Ferrara, Aldobrandino received Modena and Francesco obtained Reggio Emilia. Obizzo d'Este is cited in Dante's ''Inferno'' and is in the first compartment of the Seventh Circle of Hell for purchasing Ghisola from her brother Venedico Cacciamenico for sexual relations.

Marriages and issue

In 1263 Obizzo married firstly with Giacomina (died December 1287), daughter of Niccolò Fieschi di Lavagna and niece of

. They had five children: * Azzo VIII (after 1263 – 31 January 1308). * Beatrice (died 15 September 1334), married firstly with Ugolino Visconti, Giudice of Gallura and secondly on 24 June 1300 to Galeazzo I Visconti, Lord of Milan. *Maddalena, married firstly with Aldobrandino Turchi, from Ferrara, and secondly with Raniero di Canossa. * Aldobrandino II (died 1326). * Francesco. In 1289 Obizzo married secondly with Costanza (died 1306), daughter of Alberto I della Scala, Lord of

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

. This union was childless.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obizzo II dEste 1247 births 1293 deaths Obizzo 2 Assassinated Italian people 13th-century Italian nobility People from Ravenna